Arma Blanca

Standard casual greeting or inquiry in Mexican and Mexican-American Spanish. Can be a greeting ('qué onda, ¿cómo estás?') or a genuine question asking what is happening in a situation.

Contraction of 'mi hijito,' itself the diminutive of 'mi hijo.' Used by parents, grandparents, or older relatives. The diminutive '-ito' adds warmth. Can also be used by older people toward younger people who are not their children, conveying affection or slight condescension depending on context.

Literally 'a large fire' or 'stove burner,' but used in Mexican street slang to mean a gun or firearm. Learners familiar with only the standard meaning will be confused when the word appears in a crime context.

Literally 'to the grain.' Used to tell someone to stop beating around the bush and say what they mean. Common across all registers of Spanish.

Mexican slang for head, used very casually. Appears in the same range of informal uses as 'cabeza' but with a rougher, street tone.

Expresses resignation or acceptance of an unfortunate situation. Very common in Mexican and Mexican-American speech. Functionally similar to 'tough luck' or 'nothing to be done about it.'

Extremely common in casual Mexican and Mexican-American speech. 'Para' is reduced to 'pa'' in rapid speech. Learners trained on formal written Spanish may not recognize it at natural speaking speed.

Literally 'vultures.' Used figuratively to describe people who circle around tragedy or misfortune for personal gain, especially tabloid journalists or paparazzi.